Kids…and what to do with them.

This week, I am fortunate enough to have my family with me in Alabama. After only one day, it has already been quite an adventure…mostly because of my 7-year-old, Allyn.

It started when I brought them in for a tour of my office, where she noticed that we were in the middle of an infestation of ladybugs. Yes, ladybugs.The cutest bug in the world to a 7 year old.

I'm CUTE!

She immediately noticed that most of the ladybugs had gone to heaven, and that the remaining ladybugs needed to be saved. She proceeded to pick up as many ladybugs as she could, which prompted me to find a container for her use in capturing the ladybugs to be released in the wild.

After she had collected the 9 survivors, we continued our tour and stopped in on one of my fellow Program Directors, Jimbo Wood of 105.5 the Vulcan. Before I could formally introduce him to anyone, my little chatterbox was off and running, explaining in GREAT detail the plight of the ladybugs… Jimbo, to his credit, hung on her every word. We then exited and released the ladybugs into the bushes outside the building.

At that point, it was time for lunch. I suggested a place that I knew the kids would enjoy and would empower them to make their own choices…Mongolian Barbecue.

We had some fun with my Blackberry taking pictures, but even though they ate quite a bit, Allyn was a bit squirelly. She asked to sit on the same side of the her older sister and I were on. Normally, we say no to this, but I was in a good mood, and gave the okay. She then took a spot in the center of the booth.

After a few minutes, she began to get a bit nutty and loud, and after she announced loudly that she had “farted”, I leaned in close and asked if she “knew where she was”, implying that she was in a restaurant and needed to stop. She thought about the question for a second, and replied:

“In the middle?”

I stopped cold…and just started laughing. “In the middle”…

My wife, God bless her, tried to keep a straight face, however that was also impossible, as evidenced by her reaction. Just priceless.

Allyn is a handful, but she is also one of a kind, and the only 7-year-old vegetarian I know (you heard me).